Should I redirect all TLDs for Google?

[lee_sufc]

My site is a .net. We own the .com and .org variations but haven't done anything with them.

Should I 301 direct all these domains to my existing .net site - or leave them with nothing on?

[Chrispcritters]

I have a bunch of ccTLD's as well that I 301. I believe that is better than a live site with a blank page or unresolvable.

[jamesMP]

Unless someone more knowledgeable comes along as says otherwise, I'd say yes 301 them all to the .net domain.

_{ps relating to you other thread, I'm guessing we're local 'uns and you'd know what Henderson's is...}

[lee_sufc]

Cheers guys.

@james yep :-)

[lucy24]

WAIT!

As with any other sitewide redirect:

Like this
www.example.org/ >> www.example.net/
www.example.org/blahblah >> www.example.net/blahblah

not like this
www.example.org/blahblah >> www.example.net/

[Chrispcritters]

@lucy24,

What do you suggest if there has never been content on www.example.org? Just 301 the root to www.example.net and 404 everything else or still redirect www.example.org/blahblah to www.example.net/blahblah knowing there is was never a blahblah and let the .net handle the 404?

[lucy24]

In practice you're talking about type-ins. Most of them will just ask for the root, so it makes no difference. But suppose someone puts up a link to a page on your site. A year later, they're cleaning up their page. "dot net? That can't be right, I must have meant dot com" and change it without checking. Not awfully likely-- but it can't do any harm to redirect appropriately.

If people end up on a nonexistent page, let it be a nonexistent page on your real domain where they can benefit from your custom 404 page.

All this is assuming that requests for the other domains still pass through your ordinary htaccess-- or IIS equivalent-- so unwanted robots get slapped with the appropriate 403.

[lee_sufc]

Thanks, Lucy - great advice!